User:Jehochman/Responding to rudeness
This is an essay. It contains the advice or opinions of one or more Wikipedia contributors. This page is not an encyclopedia article, nor is it one of Wikipedia's policies or guidelines, as it has not been thoroughly vetted by the community. Some essays represent widespread norms; others only represent minority viewpoints. |
There are three essential steps when responding to rudeness:
- State the facts of the matter. Explain specifically what the user has been doing or saying that is rude. Use diffs to provide a clear indication.
- Identify how the rudeness affects you. Avoid judging or criticizing the other person as this may lead to conflict rather than resolution. For example, if you see one user being rude to another, you may say "When you talk to others that way, it make me feel very uneasy."
- Request the user take corrective action or change their behavior. "Could you please refactor that remark," or "Would you please avoid posting on my talk page after I ask you not to," are both polite requests.
Remember, your goal is to improve civility. Do your best to avoid escalating the conflict by refraining from sarcasm or retaliation. Such tactics are neither helpful nor effective. If you follow these steps and the other user is still belligerent or disruptive, you may need to report their actions at the appropriate noticeboard.
Where to request help
editFor rudeness that does not require a block, request help from uninvolved editors at WikiQuette Alerts. If the rudeness is egregious and requires urgent administrator attention, try the Administrators Noticeboard for Incidents. If an editor is habitually rude, and continues in spite of two or more attempts at resolution, a request for comment on user conduct may be appropriate. Finally, if all these steps fail, Arbitration may be helpful.
References
edit- PM Forni, The Civility Solution: What to Do When People Are Rude, St. Martin's Griffin, 2009.